This invention relates to apparatus for operating a dictation machine in various telephone-related modes and, more particularly, to such apparatus wherein the dictation machine is controlled to operate either as a telephone-answering device or as a remote dictation unit, to record messages received via a telephone line.
In many dictation machines which have been designed for business, or office use, a microphone is provided to convert speech, or voice signals, to corresponding electrical signals for recording on a record medium. Advantageously, various control switches are provided with the microphone unit so as to enable the user to establish various modes of operation of the machine, such as record, playback, rewind, fast-forward, and the like. The selected operation of these respective switches may energize the usual motors, solenoids and amplifier circuits which normally are provided in the dictation machine.
In addition to providing a microphone-input for receiving voice signals, some dictation machines also are provided with a so-called telephone input by which voice signals which are received from a telephone instrument are supplied directly to the recording circuits of the machine. A "telephone" selector switch may be provided to selectively connect either the microphone input or the telephone input to such recording circuits.
It may be desirable, in some installations, for the user of such a dictation machine to condition that machine to operate as a telephone-answering device so that telephone messages can be recorded in his absence. That user also may wish to use his dictation machine to record his own messages which are transmitted thereto from a remote location via the telephone line. It would appear that, if the dictation machine is provided with the aforementioned telephone-recording capability, control apparatus may be designed to accomplish telephone-answering and remote-dictation operations. Furthermore, if the dictation machine is electrically connected to the telephone line by a coupler, or adapter, such adapter can be selectively conditioned to supply the recording circuits of the dictation machine with voice signals which are received either from the telephone line or from the microphone.